Getting Mother's Body by Suzan Lori Parks Page A

something in me don’t want her sitting in it.
    â€œHe’s away all day,” I tell her.
    â€œAway doing whut?” she asks. Her hand tightens around her white box.
    â€œYou want a coffin you gonna have to come back tomorrow,” I tell her. She narrow, like I said, but there’s something fat about her. Something swole around her middle. I know what it is and don’t want to know.
    She stands on one foot, scratching her leg with the other. “Clifton tolt me to come Thursday,” she says.
    â€œHis name ain’t no Clifton, it’s Clifford,” I tell her. I switch Zeke to my other tit.
    â€œI call him Snipes most of the time,” she says.
    â€œCall him what you want, I’m telling you he ain’t here.”
    The gal holds her hand up to her forehead, taking the sun off her face. She got a wide nose and mouth, but pretty eyes.
    â€œYou his sister Alberta?” she asks.
    I don’t say nothing to that.
    â€œHe tolt me to come today,” she says gently. She comes up toward the steps but I cut my eyes at her and she stops coming. Now there’s a worry in her voice. “I’m getting married tomorrow,” she says.
    â€œNot to my husband you ain’t,” I says.
    She don’t move.
    â€œGet yr narrow dusty hussy ass out my yard,” I says.
    She don’t say nothing, but a look comes into her eyes. A look of—I’m not sure what. She walks away from the porch, with a bounce to her walking that she didn’t have when she first came up here. When she gets to the gate she takes what looks like a wedding dress out that box, fishes around in her pocketbook and, before I know anything, she goes and lights the dress on fire, standing there, looking at the little flame it makes, watching it burn. Daniel moves to the edge of the porch to watch the fire too. Then, as quick as she starts it, like she done changed her mind, she stomps on the dress, putting the fire out and stuffing the dress back in the box. She yells something at me that I won’t repeat and then she’s gone.
    Ruth, Joshua, Adam and Eve, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Esther-or-Moses. And me, Alberta, and him, Clifford. My husband is a good-looking man. What I mean is, this ain’t the first time something like this has happened. I could mention it to him when he comes home, but me and him would just get to yelling and whatnot, so I ain’t gonna say nothing. Hopefully he’s gonna bring me home something nice, and something nice for Daniel too.
    That gal had a funny look in her eye, and to burn up that dress—she’s gotta be crazy.
    Plus she never did say what her name was neither.
    FAT JUNIOR LENOIR
    She come in here about an hour ago, asking if she could use my restroom. Went in there wearing a green housedress and come out in this red-colored one. Waltzed out of here and down the street like she was going to a party. Now she’s back, standing at my counter. Don’t look like the party went so good.
    â€œHow much it cost to get to LaJunta?” she goes.
    â€œYou done visiting us in Texhoma?” I ask her.
    â€œJust tell me how much it costs,” she says. She looks square at me, trying to hurt me with her eyes. She got a white box with a rose on it, held tight under her arm, pocketbook and et cetera, plus a belly with a baby in it, I’d bet, and no ring on her finger neither. Looking at her makes me wanna scratch my itch.
    I look through my book. “I don’t got no listing for no LaJunta, Texas,” I tell her.
    â€œIt’s in Arizona, almost to California,” she says.
    I take out my other books, taking my time thumbing through the pages. I turn a page, look at her and smile. She pulls back the sides of her face, not really smiling, just aping me. She got the shape of mouth I like, nice and broad, plus a big gap tween her front teeth.
    â€œYou gonna have to go to Midland or Dallas and catch a bus going